Denman maintained his perfect steeplechase record on Friday with a scintillating victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, handing defending champion and Paul Nicholls-trained stablemate Kauto Star a seven-length defeat in the 3 5/16-mile, $901,000 contest that invariably crowns Britain's, if not the world's, champion chaser.

European racing emerges form its long winter's rest Saturday with the first group races of the year at Saint-Cloud in France and Lingfield Park in England, although it is still too early for any of the leading older horses to be making their seasonal debuts.

Kauto Star defends his Cheltenham Gold Cup title on Friday against a most dangerous opponent in Denman, the winner of all eight of his steeplechase starts to date. Both are trained by Paul Nicholls for the 15-runner, 3 5/16-mile chase over 22 fences.

Kauto Star has won Grade 1 steeplechases in his last three starts, among them the prestigious King George VI Chase at Kempton on Dec. 26. That win and his latest on Feb. 16 in the Ascot Chase were accomplished by a combined 19 lengths.

Barbecue Eddie will head to Dubai for the March 29 Dubai Golden Shaheen after zipping five furlongs in 59 seconds at Santa Anita on Tuesday morning. The trip is scheduled to happen even though Barbecue Eddie, a Stormy Atlantic 4-year-old, has never won a graded stakes.

"It's a great opportunity," said trainer Brian Koriner. "He went really well and will have one more breeze next week before he leaves for Dubai. It be will something pretty light, and we'll send him on his way."

Indicating that he has bounced back quickly from his Feb. 28 victory in Dubai, Curlin worked five furlongs on Monday at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. Curlin was timed in 1:02.60 for 1,000 meters by clockers at Nad Al Sheba, though getting a precise read on the time was difficult, since Curlin emerged through a bank of fog as he began his drill.

The distance, location, and date of the Japan Cup Dirt will all be changed this year as part of the Japan Racing Association's introduction of the Japan Autumn International, a festival of four international Grade 1 races between Nov. 16 and Dec. 7.

Jockey Darryl Bradley has been suspended for four months in New Zealand for attempting to extort money from an insurance company that was in line to pay a bonus of approximately $80,000 if Fritzy Boy had won the Southland Guineas at Ascot Park Racecourse on Feb. 16, according to published reports.

After setting records across the board in its three-day Part One section, the William Inglis and Son premier yearling sale ended Thursday in Australia with mixed results for Part Two.

Thursday's single session sold 127 yearlings for approximately $2,629,072. The average price and median, in U.S. dollars, were about $20,701 and $18,650, respectively. In Australian dollars, the gross was up 8 percent from last year's aggregate for 86 yearlings. But the average price was down 26 percent and the median dropped by 27 percent.

Asiatic Boy failed in his Dubai World Cup prep at Nad Al Sheba Thursday night, finishing a one-paced third in the Group 3 Burj Nahaar. But Curlin could be faced with strong new local challenger in the upcoming World Cup - Jalil, who racked up his third straight victory in Round 3 of the Maktoum Challenge.

The Burj Nahaar and Maktoum Challenge were among six preps on Thursday for Dubai World Cup Night on March 29.

Asiatic Boy had no apparent excuse as his perfect 5-for-5 record at Nad Al Sheba came to an end in the one-mile $200,000 Burj Nahaar.

Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms has stepped into the breach and will sponsor three big races at Epsom in June, among them the English Oaks. Left without sponsorship when Vodafone ended its 13-year relationship with Epsom's British classic weekend, the Oaks as well as the Group 1 Coronation Cup and the Group 3 Diomed Stakes, will be sponsored by Juddmonte for this year only.

The Epsom Derby had also lost its Vodafone sponsorship, but the telecommunications giant agreed last month to back the race one more time.